Consumers management system

ABSTRACT

A method for managing customers for a store includes generating first account identification information from stored account information of a customer. The method also includes transmitting a list of candidate payees within a predefined distance of a current geolocation of a personal communication device of the customer and identifying the store as a party to a transaction with the customer based on feedback. The method still further includes receiving, from the store, a transaction message indicating the customer is a counterparty to the transaction, the transaction message comprising second account identification information received at the communication device of the store from the customer. The method also includes determining the first account identification information matches the second account identification information. The method further includes approving the transaction between the customer and the store in response to determining the first account identification information matches the second account identification information and identifying the store as the party to the transaction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/189,871, filed on Feb. 25, 2014, and titled “RETAIL CUSTOMERMANAGEMENT SYSTEM,” the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a customer managementsystem. More specifically, one aspect of the present disclosure relatesto managing customers for retail businesses based on personalcommunication devices of the customers.

BACKGROUND

Merchants like to encourage customers to repeatedly visit theirbusinesses so that merchants can have more opportunities to increasebusiness during these repeat visits. A variety of customer loyaltyprograms are used for this purpose. A large merchant, which has alreadyautomated its business operations with a computer system, can ask acustomer to fill out an application form and issue a membership card (oran equivalent instrument) to the customer. The membership card bearsidentification information (e.g., an account number) to identify thecustomer. Based on the member identification information of thecustomer, the computer system tracks the activities of the customer andprovides future discounts, rebates or other types of rewards to thecustomer. If the customer forgets to bring his/her membership cardduring a transaction, his/her home phone number can be used to identifythe member account number so that purchase activity is recorded andrewards may be issued accordingly.

A problem with this approach is that many consumers do not like torelease personal information to merchants for privacy concerns.Furthermore, some consumers who are moving at a fast pace do not want tospend time filling out application forms. Moreover, because manymerchants are each offering their respective membership reward programs,consumers are tired of having to fill out applications over and overagain. In addition, it is not convenient for consumers to carry manymembership cards or instruments.

For a small merchant that has not automated its business with a computersystem however, a paper coupon (or an equivalent instrument) can beissued to a customer to promote customer loyalty. The customer isresponsible for carrying this coupon (or instrument) when conducting atransaction with the merchant. For example, the merchant can record thecustomer's activities on the coupon (or instrument) based on the dollaramount spent by the customer during each transaction. The customer canredeem the coupon (or instrument) for a reward after the accumulateddollar amount recorded on the coupon (or instrument) reaches apre-defined level. Once the coupon (or instrument) is redeemed, a newcoupon (or instrument) can be issued to the customer again.

A problem with this approach is that many small merchants do not haveresources to print and manage these coupons (or instruments).Furthermore, many customers often lose these coupons (or instruments)and thus lose the monetary value they have accumulated on these coupons(or instruments). Very often, a customer may forget to bring the coupon(or instrument) during a transaction. Under such circumstances,customers may become disappointed or frustrated, and the original goodintention to induce customer loyalty may have no effect or may result ina negative effect. Moreover, when many merchants offer customer loyaltyprograms through coupons, it becomes troublesome for customers to carryall of these coupons and such customer loyalty programs actually becomea burden.

Many merchants have very light business activity during weekdays, butare extremely busy over the weekends or on holidays. For example, it iscommon to see a long line of customers waiting to dine at a popularrestaurant over the weekend. Many customers may walk away from arestaurant because of the long line. Even in a supermarket, a customermay decide not to purchase anything when she sees a long line at thecheckout stand. Merchants are losing potential business when they failto shorten their lines.

Traditionally, promotions are conducted through mailing of paper-basedpromotional materials. This is an expensive process. It is oftendifficult for a merchant to justify the cost of the promotion. Veryoften, a merchant may end up losing money to go through a promotionalcampaign. The delay caused by this printing and mailing process may makea promotional campaign ineffective for perishable goods or services. Forexample, when a restaurant finds out that it has too many empty tableson a particular evening, it has little chance to distribute coupons intime to attract customers to the restaurant that evening. In fact, mostpromotional materials end up in the trash without being read, which is awaste of natural resources and damages our environment.

Merchants also suffer from fraud losses. Traditional paymentinstruments, such as credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, stored-valuecards, gift cards, prepaid cards, checks, coupons, tokens, tickets,vouchers, certificates, notes, securities, etc., can be easily stolenand fabricated. For example, by bribing a waiter in a restaurant, afraudster can easily steal the card information from a guest of therestaurant. The fraudster can use the stolen card information to pay anominal fee to numerous background search websites on the Internet tofind useful personal information based on the cardholder's name shown onthe stolen card. A counterfeit card and a counterfeit identificationdocument, such as a driver's license, can be easily fabricated withpresent technology.

Once a fraudster has stolen or fabricated such card, the fraudster canquickly conduct many illegal financial transactions before the affectedfinancial institutions, organizations or individuals identify the fraudand disable the card. Many individuals, merchants, and financialinstitutions have suffered tremendous material loss and damages as aresult of fraudulent financial transactions.

In fact, theft of financial instruments is easily committed today. Manyfinancial institutions and merchants keep the personal information(e.g., the information of the financial instruments such as creditcards, debit cards, etc.) of their clients in their databases. It iscommon for employees of financial institutions, merchants, or consumercredit report companies to steal customers' information, commit fraud,and/or sell the information to fraudsters.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One aspect of the present disclosure enables consumers to conductfinancial transactions in a secure manner without using traditionalfinancial instruments that can be easily stolen or fabricated. Thisaspect of the present disclosure may eliminate the need for consumers tocarry traditional financial instruments such as checks, credit cards,debit cards, stored-value cards, pre-paid cards, ATM cards, gift cards,coupons, tokens, tickets, vouchers, certificates, notes, securities,etc.

Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure helps merchantsinstantly and effectively promote their services and goods, includingproducts, materials, tangible properties, intangible properties, orother things that can be traded. Moreover, another aspect of the presentdisclosure helps merchants manage their customer loyalty programs. Inaddition, one aspect of the present disclosure helps merchants managetheir customer waiting lines and alleviates unnecessary frustration tocustomers.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer system assigns acustomer to the end (i.e., tail) of a first wait list of a store whenthe customer is not at the store (i.e., remotely located) and registersthrough a software application on a personal communication device of thecustomer. The computer system may also send a message to the personalcommunication device of the customer when a length of a second wait listof the store is shorter than a predetermined length and the customer isat the head of the first wait list and is ready to be moved to atransition pool of the store. The computer system moves the customerfrom the transition pool to the second wait list of the store after thecustomer arrives at the store. The computer system also removes thecustomer from the second wait list of the store in response to an actionby the store.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a software application on apersonal communication device enables the customer to remotely registerwith a first wait list of the store. The software application alsonotifies the customer, through the customer's personal communicationdevice, to check in with the store when a length of a second wait listof the store is shorter than a predefined length and the customer is atthe head of the first wait list and thus ready to be moved to atransition pool of the store. The software application further enablesthe customer to authorize a payment to the store after the customer ismoved from the transition pool to the second wait list of the store.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, a computerized methodincludes sending, by a computer system, a message to a personalcommunication device of a customer to promote an item for a store. Thecomputerized method also includes assigning, by the computer system, thecustomer to a tail of a first wait list of the store when the customeris at a location remote from the store and registers through a softwareapplication on a personal communication device of the customer. Thecomputerized method further includes sending, by the computer system, amessage to the personal communication device of the customer when alength of a second wait list of the store is shorter than a predefinedlength and the customer is at the head of the first wait list of thestore and thus ready to be moved to a transition pool of the store. Thecomputerized method also includes moving the customer from thetransition pool of the store to the second wait list of the store afterthe customer arrives at the store.

The computerized method further includes transferring an amount of moneyfrom an account of the customer after the customer is moved to thesecond wait list of the store. The computerized method also includestransferring, by the computer system, to an account of the store theamount of money minus a service fee associated with the promoted item.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a software application on acomputer system assigns a customer to a tail of a first wait list of astore when the customer is at a location remote from the store andregisters through a software application on a personal communicationdevice of the customer. The software application on the computer systemalso sends a message to the personal communication device of thecustomer when a length of a second wait list of the store is shorterthan a predefined length and the customer is at the head of the firstwait list and thus ready to be moved to a transition pool of the store.The software application on the computer system further moves thecustomer from the transition pool to the second wait list of the storeafter the customer arrives at the store. The software application on thecomputer system removes the customer from the second wait list of thestore in response to an action by the store.

In this disclosure, the terminology “network” or “networks” generallyrefers to a communication network or networks, which can be wireless orwired, private or public, real time or non-real time, or a combinationof them, and includes the well-known Internet.

In this disclosure, the terminology “computer” or “computer system”generally refers to either one computer or a group of computers, whichmay work alone or work together to reach the purposes of the system.

In this disclosure, the terminology “processor” generally refers toeither one processor or a group of processors, which may work alone orwork together to accomplish the purposes of the computer system.

In this document the term “module” refers to a single component ormultiple components which can be hardware, software, firmware, or acombination thereof, and may work alone or work together to accomplishthe purposes of the module.

In this document the term “device” refers to a single component ormultiple components which can be hardware, software, firmware, or acombination thereof, and may work alone or work together to accomplishthe purposes of the device.

In this disclosure, “retail businesses” generally refer restaurants,fast food stores, food stands, food trucks, bookstores, clothing stores,grocery stores, drug stores, gift stores, shoe stores, bag stores,clothing stores, furniture stores, convenience stores, electronicstores, appliance stores, equipment stores, tool stores, departmentstores, gardening stores, building material stores, supermarkets, busstops, bus stations, train stops, train stations, taxi stands, carshops, boat shops, vehicle shops, hotels, apartments, financialinstitutions, money services providers, schools, theaters, parks, fairgrounds, entertainment centers, hospitals, medical centers, dentistoffices, doctor offices, beauty salons, barbershops, goods providers,service providers, organizations, clubs, associations, companies,offices, businesses, kiosks, machines, or any types of facilities whichinterface with customers.

In this disclosure, a “bank” or “financial institution” generally refersto a financial service provider, either a bank or a non-bank, wherefinancial services are provided.

In this disclosure, a “bank account” or “financial account” generallyrefers to an account associated with a financial institution, either abank or a non-bank, where financial transactions can be conductedthrough financial instruments such as cash, checks, credit cards, debitcards, ATM cards, stored value cards, gift cards, pre-paid cards, wires,monetary instruments, letters of credit, notes, securities, commercialpapers, commodities, precious metal, electronic fund transfers,automatic clearing house, etc.

In this disclosure, “financial transactions” generally refer totransactions related to financial activities, including but not limitedto payment, fund transfer, money services, payroll, invoicing, trading,escrow, insurance, underwriting, merger, acquisition, account opening,account closing, etc.

In this disclosure, “trading” generally refers to trading activities,both private and public, including but not limited to trading of stock,currency, commodities, rights, values, securities, derivatives, goods,services, merchandise, etc.

In this disclosure, “securities” are generally referred to according tothe definition in the Securities Act of 1933. For example, securitiesmay generally include note, stock certificate, bond, debenture, check,draft, warrant, traveler's check, letter of credit, warehouse receipt,negotiable bill of lading, evidence of indebtedness, certificate ofinterest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement,collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate orsubscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trustcertificate; valid or blank motor vehicle title; certificate of interestin property, tangible or intangible; instrument or document or writingevidencing ownership of goods, wares, and merchandise, or transferringor assigning any right, title, or interest in or to goods, wares, andmerchandise; or, in general, any instrument commonly known as a“security”, or any certificate of interest or participation in,temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, warrant, or right tosubscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing.

In this disclosure, a “consumer” generally refers to a customer, person,subject, subject person, payer, user, or client, etc., seeking toperform a transaction with an individual, an organization, a merchant,and/or a financial institution.

In this document, the terminology “official identification document”generally refers to a passport, driver's license, voter card, benefitscard, student identification card, social security card, nationalidentification card, identity card, certificate of legal status, andother official documents and information bearing instruments thatidentify a designated individual by certain verifiable characteristics,that are issued or certified by a consulate, embassy, government agency,or other governmental authorities, and that are protected againstunauthorized copying or alteration by the responsible government. Inparticular, such “official identification documents” can be formed fromvarious materials, including paper, plastic, polycarbonate, PVC, ABS,PET, Teslin, composites, etc. and can embed the identificationinformation in various formats, including printed or embossed on thedocument (or card), written on a magnetic medium, programmed into anelectronic device, stored in a memory, and combinations thereof. The“identification information” may include, but is not necessarily limitedto, names, identification numbers, date of birth, signatures, addresses,passwords, phone numbers, email addresses, personal identificationnumbers, tax identification numbers, national identification numbers,countries that issue the IDs, states that issue the IDs, ID expirationdate, photographs, fingerprints, iris scans, physical descriptions, andother biometric information. The embedded information can be readthrough optical, acoustic, electronic, magnetic, electromagnetic andother media.

In this disclosure, “personal identification information” generallyrefers to name, address, date of birth, personal identification number,user ID, password, tax identification number, type of the identificationdocument used, identity number associated with the identificationdocument, country, state, government organization and/or a privateorganization issuing the identification document, expiration date of theidentification document, phone number, screen name, e-mail address,photographs, fingerprints, iris scans, physical descriptions, and otherbiometrical information.

In this disclosure, “personal information” includes at least personalidentification information, personal relationships, personal status,personal background, personal interests, and personal financialinformation including information related to financial instruments,financial accounts and financial activities.

In this disclosure, “financial instruments” generally refer toinstruments which are used to conduct financial transactions. Examplesof financial instruments include cash, credit cards, debit cards, ATMcards, prepaid cards, stored value cards, gift cards, checks, monetaryinstruments, wire transfers, letters of credit, notes, securities,commercial papers, commodities, gold, silver, etc.

In this disclosure, a “personal communication device” generally refersto a device interface used for personal communication purposes.

In this disclosure, a “personal communication address” generally refersto an identifier which is used to identify a person or an entity duringprivate communications. For example, a mobile phone number is a personalcommunication address. An email address is a personal communicationaddress.

In this disclosure, “device interface” generally refers to keyboard,keypad, monitor, display, terminal, computer, mobile phone, smartphone,Smartbook, iPad, Mac Book, Chromebook, Windows tablet, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), smart watch, smart wearable devices, control panel,vehicle dash board, network interface, machinery interface, videointerface, audio interface, electrical interface, electronic interface,magnetic interface, electromagnetic interface including electromagneticwave interface, optical interface, light interface, acoustic interface,video interface, audio interface, contactless interface, handheld deviceinterface, portable device interface, wireless interface, wiredinterface, or other type of interface.

In this document, the terminology “terminal” or “kiosk” generally refersto equipment, including a computer and/or its peripherals,microprocessor and/or its peripherals, ATM terminal, check-cashingkiosk, money services kiosk, merchant checkout stand, cash register,coin exchange machine, parking lot payment kiosk, other payment kiosks,contactless device, wire line phone, mobile phone, smartphone,Smartbook, personal communication device, PDA, digital assistant,entertainment device, network interface device, router, and/or PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), etc., which interfaces a user with a computernetwork, so that the user may interact with computer systems and otherequipment connected to the computer network.

For a further understanding of the nature and advantages of thedisclosure, reference should be made to the following description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a system and network diagram of a Retail CustomerManagement System (“RCMS”) to enable merchants to manage customers.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are flowcharts of an example process, indicating how theRetail Customer Management System helps a business manage customers withthe computer system of RCMS as shown in FIG. 1, according to an aspectof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below, in connection with theappended drawings, is intended as a description of variousconfigurations and is not intended to represent the only configurationsin which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detaileddescription includes specific details for the purpose of providing athorough understanding of the various concepts. It will be apparent,however, to those skilled in the art that these concepts may bepracticed without these specific details. In some instances, well-knownstructures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoidobscuring such concepts. As described herein, the use of the term“and/or” is intended to represent an “inclusive OR”, and the use of theterm “or” is intended to represent an “exclusive OR”.

Customer Management is an ongoing challenge for retail businesses.Traditionally, some large merchants issue membership cards to consumersafter they fill out an application form. Some types of discounts orreward programs are tied with these membership cards as an incentive forconsumers to join. However, when more and more cards are issued toconsumers from different merchants, it becomes inconvenient forconsumers to carry multiple membership cards. Some merchants begin touse a personal phone number to track customer membership. As long as aphone number given by a customer matches a phone number in the databaseof the merchant, the membership discount can be applied based on thatphone number even if the customer does not truly own that phone number.Sometimes, a friend of a customer may use the customer's phone number toobtain a discount. As a result, tracking a customer's membership basedon a phone number to apply a discount has practically become aformality. Such approach provides limited value in terms of customermanagement.

Customer management in retail business is expected to achieve severalbasic functions including, for example, promotions, payments,satisfaction and loyalty management, inventory management, deliverymanagement, etc. The ultimate goal is to facilitate a customer to spendas much money with the merchant as possible for the rest of his life.Some aspects of the present disclosure intend to achieve this goal.

For easy explanation, a restaurant is used as an example in the presentdisclosure. However, the present disclosure can also be applied to otherretail businesses such as fast food stores, food stands, food trucks,bookstores, clothing stores, grocery stores, drug stores, gift stores,shoe stores, bag stores, clothing stores, furniture stores, conveniencestores, electronic stores, appliance stores, equipment stores, toolstores, department stores, gardening stores, building material stores,supermarkets, bus stops, bus stations, train stops, train stations, taxistands, car shops, boat shops, vehicle shops, hotels, apartments,financial institutions, money services providers, schools, theaters,parks, fair grounds, entertainment centers, hospitals, medical centers,dentist offices, doctor offices, beauty salons, barbershops, goodsproviders, service providers, organizations, clubs, associations,companies, offices, businesses, kiosks, machines, or any types offacilities which interface with customers. In fact, the presentdisclosure can be applied to any business or non-business situation evenwhen consumers are not involved.

For a typical restaurant, a capacity of a room corresponds to a maximumnumber of guests seated at any one time. Most restaurants have instanceswhen they are below capacity during normal weekdays, but are verycrowded over the weekends and on holidays. It is desirable forrestaurants to conduct some special promotions during the less crowdedtimes (e.g., weekdays) to utilize their excess capacity. It is alsodesirable for the restaurant to effectively manage its waiting line overthe weekends and on holidays to increase or even maximize their customerflow. Some aspects of the present disclosure provide solutions toconducting promotions for retail businesses, including restaurants. Someaspects of the present disclosure provide solutions to managing thewaiting line for retail businesses.

The space in a restaurant is conceptually perishable. If a space is notutilized during lunch or dinner time, the value of that space is lostduring that particular lunch or dinner time and can never be obtainedlater. For example, if a customer who reserved a table does not show upwhile other guests cannot be seated at that reserved table, therestaurant may lose money that could have been earned by a payingcustomer at that table. Even if the customer shows up at a later time,the restaurant still has lost money during the idle period when thatreserved table was empty.

Therefore, many restaurants do not accept reservations. They insist thata customer appear at the restaurant in person to sign in with the hostof the restaurant and provide the number of people in the customer'sparty (i.e., the total number of people who will dine together in thatgroup) so that the party can be put into a waiting list. The restaurantwill call the parties on the waiting list one by one. Because there aremany parties on the waiting list, all tables will be fully utilizedduring the busy lunch or dinner time with this approach. As a result ofthis practice, during weekends or holidays, a party may need to wait forover one hour in order to be seated in a popular restaurant.

Some people cannot wait for such a long time because of other scheduledactivities and some people do not want to wait for too long because ofpersonal preference. In addition, waiting can be very difficult forparties with young kids who can become restless during the long waitingtime. Therefore, some people will not be willing to wait when there is along waiting list and will go to a different restaurant. Almost everyconsumer has had some past experience of giving up the original choiceof restaurant because of a long waiting list. Most consumers will notwait for over 45 minutes. Some consumers will not even wait for 15minutes. Therefore, many restaurants are losing potential businessbecause customers do not want to wait. In fact, such waiting can be veryfrustrating and often causes customer complaints. A restaurant may losefuture business because those frustrated customers may never come backto the same restaurant again or complain to other potential customersabout how long the wait was such that the other potential customers aredeterred from going to the restaurant.

One aspect of the present disclosure helps retail businesses managetheir waiting lists. In this restaurant example, the length of a waitinglist is determined by the restaurant capacity to accommodate customersand the number of customers that may show up at the same time. Becausethe restaurant room capacity is fixed, the factor that can be managed isthe number of customers who will show up at the same time. Generallyspeaking, waiting in the lobby of a restaurant is a frustratingexperience, but waiting at home or other places may not be inconvenientat all. For example, it can be much easier for a party with kids to letthe kids watch TV at home, then show up at the restaurant when it is thetime for the party to be seated. The ideal solution is to make areservation; however, as explained earlier, many restaurants do notaccept reservations.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a customer who is away from arestaurant can remotely register with the restaurant through a softwareapplication on his personal communication device. The name and phonenumber of the customer and the number of persons in his party arerecorded by the computer system. At first glance, a restaurant may notlike this approach because such remote registration sounds like areservation, which can cause some reserved tables to become idle if thecustomer and his party do not show up on time.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, this remote registration from asoftware application on a personal communication device is not handledas a reservation of a table or a time slot. Instead, a registered partyis added to the last position (i.e., tail) of a first wait list. Thisprocess of registration with a restaurant's first wait list can behandled by a computer system without any human intervention. Thisautomation is very important because a busy restaurant will not want toallocate additional resources to manage this first wait list.Furthermore, when any party walks into the restaurant, the party is alsoadded to the first wait list by the restaurant. This first wait listestablishes the first-level priority sequence of each party in waiting.In one aspect of the present disclosure, a first wait list is a set ofcustomers stored in a database. In another aspect of the presentdisclosure, a first wait list is a set of customers displayed on adevice interface. In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, afirst wait list is a set of customers stored in a temporary storagecomponent or device. In an alternative aspect of the present disclosure,a first wait list is a set of customers processed by a computer system.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer system records thetime when each party is added to the first wait list. Because thecomputer also records the time when a party is seated in the restaurant,the computer system can easily find out how long the last party had beenwaiting before being seated in the restaurant. This informationregarding the waiting time of the last seated party can be used as anestimate of the current waiting time. Therefore, in one aspect of thepresent disclosure, once a party is added to the first wait list, thecomputer system sends a message to a personal communication device ofthe customer who made the registration to confirm the registration andto provide an approximate waiting time. As a result, the waiting partycan schedule its activities according to this information of theapproximate waiting time. In fact, even before the customer registersremotely, the computer system can provide an approximate waiting time sothat the customer can decide whether to proceed to remotely registerwith the restaurant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, for the walk-in party, arestaurant can register the walk-in party with the computer system byusing a device interface of the computer system, such as a tabletdevice. The name and phone number of a customer of the walk-in party arerecorded in the computer system. The number of persons of the walk-inparty is also recorded in the computer system. The computer systeminforms the walk-in customer, whose phone number has been added to thefirst wait list, of the approximate waiting time and invites him todownload the software application to his personal communication deviceso that he can register remotely from the software application on hispersonal communication device in the future.

As a result of using the software application, for his next visit to therestaurant, he does not need to show up in person to register himself inthe waiting list. Because a customer may have nothing important to dowhen he is waiting in the lobby of the restaurant, he may just go aheadand download the software application while he is waiting in the lobby.This approach will naturally promote the software applications tocustomers who walk into the restaurant. For easy reference in thepresent disclosure, a software application on a personal communicationdevice is referred to as a “mobile app.”

In one aspect of the present disclosure, to avoid abusive use of theremote registration through the mobile app, a party pays a small fee forthe remote registration. If a party does not show up at the restaurantafter the remote registration, this small fee will be forfeited as acancellation fee.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the fee amount is charged basedon the number of persons in the party. For example, five dollars can becharged for each person in the party with a minimum charge of tendollars per party. As a result of this fee, a restaurant may feel morecomfortable to accept such remote registration through the mobile appbecause, if the registered party does not show up, the restaurant canearn some additional income.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, while a party is waiting aftercompleting remote registration through the mobile app, the computersystem sends promotional materials to the party through the mobile app.The promotional materials may include a food menu, today's special, chefrecommendations, special deals, etc.

Parties on the first wait list do not need to show up at the restaurantuntil they are informed by the computer system to do so. Therefore,parties on the first wait list can continue their existing activitieswithout the need to wait in the restaurant. The use of the first waitlist effectively avoids the frustration that customers may have whenthey wait in the lobby of the restaurant. The information in the firstwait list also provides the restaurant with an indicator of potentialbusiness on that day so that the restaurant can plan in advance. Forexample, if the food ordering history of a customer has been recorded bythe computer system, the restaurant can forecast the inventory usage bythe customer based on his ordering history.

In general, a party does not mind waiting in the lobby of a restaurantif only a few parties are ahead of them. For a restaurant with a largecapacity, it may be fine to keep, for example, eight parties waiting inthe lobby. For a small restaurant with a small capacity, it may bedesirable to keep only four parties waiting in the lobby. The targetnumber of parties that may wait in the lobby can be determined by therestaurant and the goal is to keep the waiting time of each party asshort as possible.

For easy management by the computer system, the parties waiting in thelobby of the restaurant are listed on a second wait list. The restaurantcan call the parties in the lobby one by one to seat them in therestaurant based on their priority sequence on the second wait list. Ifa walk-in customer is still on the first wait list, he will not becalled by the host even though he is waiting in the lobby.

Once a party is seated by the restaurant, the host removes that partyfrom the second wait list by using the device interface of the computersystem. If the length of the second wait list is less than a predefinednumber, e.g., three, which is determined by the restaurant, the computersystem sends a message to request the party at the first position (i.e.,head) of the first wait list to check in with the restaurant.Furthermore, the computer system also removes the party from the firstwait list. For the purpose of this disclosure, this predefined number isreferred to as “Reference Length.”

Because a customer who remotely registered with the first wait list maynot be able to arrive at the restaurant immediately after the computersystem sent him a message requesting check in, this customer is notadded to the second wait list yet. Instead, he is assigned to atransition pool, which accommodates all parties that have been removedfrom the first wait list but have not yet checked in with therestaurant. If a party is at the head of the first wait list and thesecond list is shorter than a predetermined length, the party is readyto be moved to the transition pool. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, a transition pool is a set of customers marked in adatabase. In another aspect of the present disclosure, a transition poolis a set of customers marked on a device interface. In yet anotheraspect of the present disclosure, a transition pool is a set ofcustomers stored in a temporary storage component or device. In analternative aspect of the present disclosure, a transition pool is a setof customers processed by a computer system.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a party in the transition poolis added to the second wait list after the party arrives at therestaurant and checks in with the host of the restaurant. If a party ison the second wait list, the party is already in the lobby and ready tobe seated by the restaurant. After a party is seated by the host, thehost removes that party from the second wait list. The computer systemwill then request the next party at the first position (i.e., head) ofthe first wait list to check in with the restaurant when the length ofthe second wait list is shorter than a predefined length, which isdetermined by the restaurant. In one aspect of the present disclosure, asecond wait list is a set of customers marked in a database. In anotheraspect of the present disclosure, a second wait list is a set ofcustomers marked on a device interface. In yet another aspect of thepresent disclosure, a second wait list is a set of customers stored in atemporary storage component or device. In an alternative aspect of thepresent disclosure, a second wait list is a set of customers processedby a computer system.

The transition pool is used to smooth out the irregularities between thefirst wait list and the second wait list. Things do not always work outas planned. For example, a party may be delayed because a customer needsa longer time to dress up, a customer wants to finish watching a sportsgame on TV, a traffic jam occurs on the road, etc. As a result of theseunexpected delays, Party A which was ahead of Party B on the first waitlist may actually check in with the restaurant much later than Party B.It is unfair for Party B to wait simply because Party A has not shownup. Therefore, the sequence on the second wait list is based on whichparty checks in at the restaurant first after the parties have beeninformed to check in. Because the priority sequence in the first waitlist may be different from the priority sequence in the second waitlist, the transition pool is used as a buffer to reorganize the prioritysequence in the second wait list.

Theoretically, if every party checks in with the restaurant immediatelyafter receiving a check-in message from the computer system, thepriority sequence in the first wait list should be identical to thepriority sequence in the second wait list. Therefore, if a party islate, it is understandable to the party that its priority on the secondwait list is different from its priority on the first wait list. Inpractice, because the computer system handles the remote registration,the first wait list, the second wait list and the transition pool, acustomer does not really know that his priority has been modifiedbecause of being late. As long as his party can be seated promptly, acustomer may not even notice any difference.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer system sends acheck-in message again to a party in the transition pool if the partyhas not checked in with the restaurant within a predefined period oftime (e.g., 20 minutes) after the last check-in message was sent. Theserepeated messages can avoid a complaint by a customer later that henever received a message for check-in with the restaurant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer system sendsdriving directions to a personal communication device of a customer, whois in the transition pool, to help him find the restaurant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer system sends somepromotional information to a personal communication device of acustomer, who is in the transition pool, to encourage him to visit therestaurant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer system conducts afinancial transaction with a customer, who is in the transition pool.Advertising materials for third parties can also be sent to the customerin the transition pool to earn additional income for the RCMS.

After the closing of the business day, the entities left in thetransition pool are parties that have remotely registered but have neverchecked in with the restaurant. In one aspect of the present disclosure,a cancellation fee is charged to each customer left in the transitionpool after the closing of the business day.

In practice, the priority sequence on the second wait list may not bestrictly enforced. For example, if customer A went to the bathroom afterchecking in with the restaurant, it is fine to seat the next party firstbecause nobody knows when customer A will return from the bathroom.Customer A will be seated at the next available table after returningfrom the bathroom. Because only a few parties may wait in the lobby ofthe restaurant at any given time, it is a simple task for the host ofrestaurant to manage these minor irregularities on the second wait list.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the restaurant can manuallyrequest the computer system to inform the next party on the first waitlist that it is time to check in. This option may be useful for anunusual situation in which, for example, all parties that have checkedin with the restaurant are not present, or all parties that have beenrequested to check in have not arrived yet when a table has becomeavailable.

The entire process described above can be handled by a computer system.The restaurant only uses a device interface of the computer system, suchas a tablet computer, to manage the second wait list, which onlyconsists of a few parties waiting in the lobby of the restaurant at anygiven time. As a result of using the methods described in the presentdisclosure, no party waits for a long period in the lobby of therestaurant. Nobody will walk away from the restaurant because of thelong waiting time. The host has a simplified job. Customers are muchhappier and the restaurant will naturally do more business.

Because a personal communication device is used by a customer, manyother services can be provided through the mobile app. In one aspect ofthe present disclosure, the computer system sends a message to invitethe customer to join a Customer Loyalty Program of the restaurant. Afterthe customer joins the Customer Loyalty Program, the computer system cansend promotions of the restaurant to the customer from time to time. Forcustomer privacy, it is desirable that the computer system does not pushany promotion of a restaurant to a personal communication device of acustomer until after the customer has agreed to join a Customer LoyaltyProgram of the restaurant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the Customer Loyalty Programoffers some special discounts. In another aspect of the presentdisclosure, the Customer Loyalty Program offers some special gifts. Inyet another aspect of the present disclosure, the Customer LoyaltyProgram offers some free items. In an alternative aspect of the presentdisclosure, the Customer Loyalty Program offers some rebates. There isno limitation on what a Customer Loyalty Program can offer. The ultimategoal is to earn customer loyalty and attract customers to frequentlyvisit the restaurant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, these discounts, gifts,rebates, etc. are awarded based on the need of the restaurant. Forexample, many restaurants have very light activities during some weekdayevenings. It is desirable for a restaurant to conduct some specialpromotions to members of its Customer Loyalty Program during theseevenings.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, these discounts, gifts,rebates, etc. are awarded based on an accumulated amount of money spentby the customer with the restaurant. This approach can earn long-termsupport by the customer. Similarly, in another aspect of the presentdisclosure, these discounts, gifts, rebates, etc. are awarded based onthe frequency of visits by the customer to the restaurant. Many othertypes of incentives can be offered through the Customer Loyalty Program.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer system can beowned and operated by a business that does not own any restaurant orretail store. For easy reference, this business is referred to as theRetail Customer Management System (RCMS). In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the RCMS signs on consumers as members of the RCMS club.

There are many different ways to sign on new members. In one aspect ofthe present disclosure, a new member only provides a full name, creditcard (or other type of payment card) information and a billing address.As a result, the RCMS activities can be conducted based on the creditcard or other type of card.

Sometimes, a more strict set of rules may be applied because ofregulatory requirements. For example, in one aspect of the presentdisclosure, a consumer logs into the RCMS computer through a deviceinterface to open an account with the computer system of the RCMS andprovides the RCMS with the consumer's personal information, includingpersonal identification information.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the embedded information ofan official identification document is read by a device interface toprovide the personal identification information. Because the officialidentification document is protected by the respective government,reading the embedded information directly from the officialidentification document can effectively prevent fraud.

To make sure that the consumer is the true owner of the officialidentification document, the embedded information of the officialidentification document can be used to authenticate the identity of theconsumer. For example, if the biometric information of the person, suchas fingerprint, iris patterns, photo, etc., corresponds to the biometricinformation embedded within or on the official identification document,the person is the true owner of the official identification document.

Alternatively, if a person can accurately provide some privateinformation, such as personal identification number, which is embeddedinside the official identification document, this person is very likelythe true owner of the official identification. This authenticationapproach is much more accurate than the traditional approach, whichdepends on human comparison between the appearance of the person and thephoto on the official identification document. Furthermore, because thisauthentication approach eliminates the need for human involvement, aconsumer can open an account at a terminal, kiosk, etc.

The RCMS computer system processes the personal information submitted bythe consumer and approves the account opening for the consumer incompliance with regulations and laws. Once an account is opened, aconsumer can be identified by a set of partial personal identificationinformation.

For example, a consumer can be identified by a combination of the zipcode of the address shown on the consumer's identification document, theyear of birth, the last four digits of the ID number, the first twoletters of the first name, the first two letters of the last name shownon the ID, the country/state of issuance of the ID, the expiration dateof the ID, etc. Because only a set of partial data of the consumer'spersonal identification information is used, the true identity of theconsumer is not disclosed. Furthermore, there is no way to recover thepersonal identification information of the consumer from or through thisset of partial data.

Although only a set of partial data of the consumer's personalidentification information is used, the probability of a mismatch whentwo persons having the same set of partial data can be substantiallyreduced to zero if a sufficient amount of partial data is used. In thecurrent example, the probability for a mismatch is in the magnitude ofabout 1 out of 10²². The number 10²² is derived from the approximationof 10⁵ (5 digit zip code)×10² (year of birth based on two digits of a100-year life span)×10⁴ (4 digits of ID number)×26² (2 letters of firstname)×26² (2 letters of last name)×200 (estimated number ofparticipating countries)×365×4 (a 4-year effective period for the ID).

Even if two consumers have the same set of partial data, such confusioncan be easily resolved by other methods. For example, the computersystem of RCMS can assign an additional number with a very short length,such as six digits, to distinguish among the persons who happen to havethe same set of partial personal identification information.

Because there are only about 6 billion persons on earth (i.e., 6×109),the total number of persons who may have the same set of partialpersonal identification data is a very small number if a sufficientamount of partial personal identification data is used. As a result, anumber of a few digits will be more than sufficient to identify theentire population on earth when a set of partial personal identificationdata is also used for identification purposes. In fact, it is possiblethat even 2 or 3 digits will be sufficient.

Because only a few digits are assigned by the computer system of theRCMS, a consumer only needs to remember this short number of a fewdigits because the consumer should know his/her own personalidentification information.

For the purpose of this disclosure, this short number is referred to asAccount Identification Number (AIN). As a result, the equivalent accountidentification (which is equivalent to the traditional account number)of the RCMS can be a combination of the AIN and a set of personalidentification data. For example, a possible account identification ofthe RCMS can be composed of the 5-digit zip code of the consumer, thelast 4 digits of the consumer's phone number, and a 6-digit AIN. Ingeneral, a consumer remembers his/her zip code and phone number. As aresult, a consumer only needs to remember his/her short AIN.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the AIN is assigned by the RCMScomputer system. To further reduce the need for consumers to memorizenumbers, in another aspect of the present disclosure, a consumer cansuggest his/her own preferred AIN and the RCMS computer system canapprove the particular AIN if no other person in the RCMS database,whose set of partial personal identification data is identical to theconsumer's, has used the suggested AIN yet.

If zip code is not used in a particular country or area, a possibleaccount number of the RCMS can be composed of, for example, the last 5digits of the official identification document number of the consumer,the last 4 digits of the consumer's primary phone number, and a 6-digitAIN assigned by the RCMS computer. In fact, many other different sets ofpartial personal identification information can be used to achieve thesame goal.

Because only partial personal identification information is used, theidentity of the consumer cannot be recovered from a set of partialpersonal identification information and the privacy of the consumer isfully protected.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, if privacy is not a concern,the personal phone number of a person and the country code and the areacode of the person can uniquely identify a person. Similarly, in anotheraspect of the present disclosure, email address, tax ID, account numberof a financial instrument (e.g., credit card), etc. can also be used touniquely identify a person. In an alternative aspect of the presentdisclosure, because personal communication devices have become verypopular today, a personal communication device of a person can alsouniquely identify the person.

In the event that a consumer cannot remember this short AIN of a fewdigits, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a consumer can usehis/her identification document to conduct financial transactions. Theinformation on the identification document can be entered by theconsumer, the merchant, or the financial institution. It is preferableto use the “official” identification documents for this purpose becauseofficial identification documents are protected by the respectivegovernment organizations which issued the official identificationdocuments.

In another aspect of the present invention, a device interface, such asa terminal, can read the information embedded within or on theidentification document. As a result, a consumer can pay goods orservices with his/her identification document at an automatic checkoutstand. Alternatively, a consumer can be prompted by a device interfaceto enter his partial identification information such as zip code, phonenumber, etc.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is no need to send allthe information of the identification document to the RCMS computersystem. To protect the consumer's personal identification informationwhich can be stolen during the data transmission, a set of partial dataof the personal identification information can be used foridentification purposes. For example, the 5-digit zip code, the last 6digits of the identification document number and the initial of the lastname can be used for identification purposes. In this example, thechance for a mismatch is one out of 2.6 trillion (i.e., 26×10⁵×10⁶).

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a Personal IdentificationNumber (PIN) can be used with dual purposes (1) to eliminate the chanceof mismatch and (2) to enhance the security.

If privacy is not a concern, in one aspect of the present disclosure,the entire identification document number can be used for accountidentification purposes to reduce the probability of mismatches. Becausethere are many different countries, states and governments that mayissue identification documents, such as driver licenses, passports,etc., an identification document number may not be unique. Under suchcircumstances, a PIN and/or AIN can eliminate such confusion. In anotheraspect of the present disclosure, the identification document number,the zip code and the PIN and/or AIN can be jointly used to reach theaccount identification goal.

The above identification document approach can also be used by anautomatic checkout stand, an ATM terminal, a kiosk, or other types ofdevice interfaces.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the consumer uploads his/herrecent photo into the computer system of the RCMS. Because a person'sface is exposed to the public every day and many online social networksmay have already posted the photo of the person on the Internet, thephoto of a consumer is generally not considered to be “privateinformation.” This photo can be used to enhance the security of the RCMSoperations.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, in order to open an account, aconsumer may upload his/her name and tax ID so that the RCMS can verifythe existence of the consumer through government records. Because eachconsumer has one unique tax ID in a country, each consumer has only onechance to open an account with the computer system of the RCMS. If aduplicate tax ID is detected, the RCMS can conduct an investigation toidentify which consumer has the correct tax ID and can filter out thefraudster. The tax ID can be encrypted in the database, or encrypted ina separate database, so that nobody can see or use it after the accountopening process.

For anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing purposes, in oneaspect of the present disclosure, the computer system may screen usersagainst the regulatory lists to ensure that the RCMS can conducttransactions with the users without worrying about money laundering orterrorist financing issues. In another aspect of the present disclosure,the computer system of RCMS can conduct transactional monitoring todetect suspicious activities in order to avoid money laundering orterrorist financing issues.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a user may provideinformation about a financial account under the user's name. The RCMScan conduct a transaction with the user's financial account and requestthe user to report the amount and/or the type of transaction. If theuser cannot report it correctly, the user may be a fraudster becausehe/she cannot tell what is going on in his/her own financial account.The financial account information can be encrypted so that nobody cansee or use it.

To ensure that the personal identification information stored in theRCMS database is up-to-date, in one aspect of the present disclosure, auser may update his/her personal identification information in the RCMSdatabase whenever there is a change of the information. For example,when a user moves to another state, his/her driver's license and addressmay be changed and the user may update the personal identificationinformation stored inside the RCMS database.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the RCMS computer system candetect a possible address change if the locations of a user'stransactions have substantially changed to a new area. Upon suchdetection of a possible address change, the RCMS computer system cansend a message to the user and request the user to update his/herpersonal identification information.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a user may provide one or morecontact phone numbers and/or email addresses for contact purposes.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a user may input into the RCMSdatabase a list of questions and answers which are designed by the userand relate to unique knowledge known only to the user. For example, aquestion may be “What is the name of a person who sat next to me during1st grade?” The answer to this question will be similarly unique.Because the questions are designed by the user, the chance for afraudster to know the answers is substantially negligible. For thepurposes of this disclosure, these questions are referred to as“challenge questions.”

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the challenge question maybe “What is the key code?”, and a user is required to input a key codeinto the device interface of the RCMS computer. For the purposes of thisdisclosure, a key code is an alpha-numeric combination designed by theconsumer, substantially like a password. The chance for another personto know or correctly guess the key code is low.

To provide additional protection to the user, in one aspect of thepresent disclosure, a user can select his/her own user ID, PersonalIdentification Number, AIN, password, etc. In another aspect of thepresent disclosure, a user can change his/her user ID, PersonalIdentification Number, AIN, password, etc. from time to time as an extraprotection against theft of these data used by the RCMS.

Because each user of the RCMS registers with the computer system of RCMSand uses the RCMS services based on a unique identity, the RCMS canconduct financial transactions for the user. There are many ways totransfer funds electronically between an entity's (e.g., payer's)account in a financial institution and the entity's account in the RCMScomputer system. For example, in one aspect of the present disclosure,an Automatic Clearing House (“ACH”) transaction can complete such anelectronic fund transfer at a very low cost today.

In other aspects of the present disclosure, debit card networks, creditcard networks, ATM or other real time and non-real time networks can beused to transfer funds electronically between an entity's account in afinancial institution and the entity's account in the RCMS computersystem.

As a result, any individual, company, organization, merchant orfinancial institution can transfer funds to another individual, company,organization, merchant or financial institution through the RCMScomputer system. The RCMS computer system can become a common platformfor individuals, businesses and financial institutions to conductcommercial activities.

After a user has opened an account with the computer system of the RCMS,if a fraudster tries to use the user's stolen identity to conduct afinancial transaction at a bank, in one aspect of the presentdisclosure, a teller can enter into the computer system of the RCMS asubset of partial personal identification information used by the RCMS.The computer system of the RCMS can search its database to find anddisplay the photo of the user.

Alternatively, in another aspect of the present disclosure, the tellercan scan an official identification document of the fraudster instead ofmanually entering the subset of partial personal identificationinformation into the computer system of RCMS. The computer system ofRCMS can search its database to find and display the photo of the user.The teller can deny the fraudster's transactions if he/she does notcorrespond to the photo of the user.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the teller can ask achallenge question or request a key code designed by the user. If theperson cannot answer the challenge question or give the key codecorrectly, this person is possibly a fraudster.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the teller can request theperson to provide an additional piece of partial personal information.The computer system of the RCMS compares the additional piece ofinformation of the person with the user's information stored in the RCMSdatabase to determine whether the person is the user.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, authorized personnel ofa financial institution can call the user's phone number, which wasprovided by the user and stored in the RCMS database, to verify whetherthe user is the same person conducting the transactions at the financialinstitution. In an alternative aspect of the present disclosure,authorized personnel of a financial institution can send an email to theuser to verify whether the user has requested the financial institutionto conduct a particular transaction.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the teller can inform the RCMScomputer system if the teller rejects the transaction and the RCMScomputer system can send an alert information message to the user sothat the user is alerted of possible fraud against the user. Similarly,if a fraudster tries to use the user's identity to purchase goods orservices at a merchant after stealing the user's identity, in otheraspects of the present disclosure, the photo of the user, the challengequestions, the key codes, and/or the additional partial information canbe used by the merchant to detect the fraudster.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the merchant informs theRCMS computer system if the merchant rejects the transaction and theRCMS computer system can send a message to the user so that the user maybe alerted that there is a possible fraud against the user.

If a fraudster tries to use the user's identity to purchase goods orservices online, in another aspect of the present disclosure, thechallenge questions, the key codes and/or the additional partialpersonal information can be used by the online merchants to detect thefraudster.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, if the RCMS computersystem rejects the transaction because the answer is wrong, the RCMScomputer system can also send a message to the user so that the user isalerted of a possible fraud against the user.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the RCMS computer system alertsthe user's financial institutions after identifying a possible identitytheft and/or fraud against the user so that the financial institutionscan act to protect the user and the financial institutions.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer system can usethe alert provided by the RCMS computer system to implement additionalprovisions to protect the user, the financial institutions and possiblyother clients of the financial institutions. An additional softwaresystem can be established in the financial institutions for anti-fraudpurposes based on the alert provided by the RCMS computer system.

As a result, the RCMS computer system enables consumers, financialinstitutions and merchants to jointly detect and prevent fraud infinancial transactions.

To further automate the process of financial crime prevention, in oneaspect of the present disclosure, the transaction networks of financialinstitutions, such as the credit card network, debit card network,trading network, insurance network, etc. can be linked to the RCMScomputer system so that a user's photo, challenge questions, key codes,and/or additional information can be used by consumers, merchants orfinancial institutions when they conduct transactions through thesetransaction networks.

In another aspect of the present invention, the RCMS computer system canbe integrated into the existing networks for credit cards, debit cards,stored value cards, ATM cards, gift cards, prepaid cards, etc.

Furthermore, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a password, passcode or fingerprint can be used to protect the personal communicationdevice so that a fraudster who has stolen a user's personalcommunication device cannot use that personal communication devicewithout the correct password, pass code or fingerprint.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a password, pass code,personal identification number (PIN), or fingerprint can be used toprotect a software application on the personal communication device. Forexample, a user may be required to enter a correct PIN into the softwareapplication on the user's personal communication device to approve atransaction.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a payer can identify a payeethrough a mobile app. For example, by using the global position system(GPS) ability of the payer's personal communication device, all possiblepayees near the payer and their identification information such as name,picture, description, etc. can be displayed on the payer's mobile appbased on the location of the payer.

For example, alternatively, by using iBeacon, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE) or other local area wireless technology embedded in thepayer's personal communication device, all possible payees near thepayer and their identification information such as name, picture,description, etc. can be displayed on the payer's mobile app based onthe location of the payer.

The payer then selects and/or confirms a payee that is the correctcounter party of the transaction. For example, a payer may see threepossible payees on the payer's phone. The payer then touches the pictureor name of one of the payees on the payer's mobile app to select thetouched payee as the counter party of the transaction. Alternatively,the payer may search a list of possible payees and select one of them asthe counter party of the transaction. As another option, the payer mayenter the name or other identification information of payee into thepayer's personal communication device to identify the payee as thecounter party of the transaction. For the purposes of clarification, amobile app is not limited to applications on mobile phones. Anyapplication running on a personal communication device, such as mobilephone, iPhone, Android Phone, Windows Phone, iPad, Smartbook, Mac Book,Windows Tablet, Google Glass, Smart Wearable Devices, etc., is referredto as “mobile app” in the current disclosure.

To facilitate payment transactions for a consumer, in one aspect of thepresent disclosure, a consumer (e.g., the payer) can give the merchant(i.e., the payee) the payer's RCMS account identification (whichconsists of AIN and a set of partial personal identification data), thepayer's official identification document, or other types of accountidentification information (e.g., an account number) of payer. The payeecan then enter the account identification, the official identificationdocument number, or the other types of account identificationinformation of the payer into the device interface provided by the RCMScomputer over the network. Alternatively, payer's account identificationinformation can be transmitted from the personal communication device ofthe payer through, for example, a bar code, electronic signal, lightsignal, acoustic signal, magnetic signal, electro-magnetic signal, etc.to payee's personal communication device. The account identificationinformation of the payer received by the payee's personal communicationdevice can be directly sent to the RCMS computer system by the payee'spersonal communication device.

The above description is presented from the payer's point of view. Allthe solutions applicable to the payer may also be applied to payee. Forexample, by using the global position system (GPS) ability or local areawireless communication ability, such as iBeacon, Bluetooth, BLE, etc. ofthe payee's personal communication device, all possible payers near thepayee and their identification information such as name, picture,description, etc. can be displayed on the payee's mobile app based onthe location of the payee. The payee then selects and/or confirms apayer that is the correct counter party of the transaction. As anotherexample, the payee may search a list of possible payers and selects oneof them as the counter party of the transaction. Similarly, the payeemay enter the name or other identification information of the payer intothe payee's personal communication device to identify the payer as thecounter party of the transaction. A personal communication device isjust a special type of device interface provided by the RCMS computersystem. In fact, the solutions presented in the current disclosure maybe used with any device interface of the RCMS computer system inaddition to personal communication device.

Similar to the solution described above, a payee can give a payer thepayee's RCMS account identification (which consists of AIN and a set ofpartial personal identification data), the payee's officialidentification document, or other types of account identificationinformation (e.g., account number) of payee. The payee's accountidentification information can be transmitted from the payee's personalcommunication device through, for example, a bar code, electronicsignal, light signal, acoustic signal, magnetic signal, electro-magneticsignal, etc. to the payer's personal communication device. The payer canenter the payee's account identification, the official identificationdocument number, or the other types of account identificationinformation into the device interface, e.g., mobile app, provided by theRCMS computer system over the network. Alternatively, the payee'saccount identification information received by the payer's personalcommunication device can be sent to the RCMS computer system by thepayer's personal communication device.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a payer is identified by hispersonal communication device. In another aspect of the presentdisclosure, a payee is identified by his personal communication device.

Once the payer and the payee of the transaction have been identifiedthrough any one of the above methods, the transaction between payer andpayee can be accomplished through a number of different means. Forexample, a payer can directly approve a transaction through a mobile appon his personal communication device. Similarly, a payee can directlyapprove a transaction through a mobile app on his personal communicationdevice.

Moreover, the RCMS computer system may assist a merchant to manage itsCustomer Loyalty Program. For example, in one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the RCMS computer system sends a message to a consumer,inviting him to join the merchant's Customer Loyalty Program. Theconsumer can accept the invitation by replying to the message, or byselecting a button in the mobile app. The RCMS computer system will thenadd the consumer to the Customer Loyalty Program of the merchant.

Once a consumer is linked to a merchant as a member of the merchant'sCustomer Loyalty Program, the transactions between the consumer and themerchant will be tracked and rewards can be issued according to themerchant's Customer Loyalty Program settings. For example, if a merchanthas a customer loyalty program that rewards customers with a five dollarrebate for every one hundred dollars of purchases with the merchant, theRCMS computer system will record and calculate the accumulatedtransactional amount of each member of the merchant's Customer LoyaltyProgram for transactions that have occurred between the member and themerchant, and will issue the five dollar rebate to a member for everyone hundred dollars spent with the merchant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the RCMS computer system helpsa merchant conduct special promotions to members of the merchant'sCustomer Loyalty Program by sending promotions to personal communicationdevices of the members.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the RCMS computer system sendsa message to a personal communication device of a customer, informingthe customer of how much money he/she has spent in the transaction andhow much more money he/she needs to spend to earn a particular reward.This message has a promotional effect because the customer is encouragedto spend more money with the merchant.

Traditionally, promotional materials are sent to consumers through themail. The cost of preparation, printing and mailing is very high. Thedelay caused by this process can often cause merchants to miss criticalmarket timing. Additionally, most promotional materials are discardedwithout being read. It is a waste of natural resources and it damagesour environment.

Because the RCMS computer system conducts promotions for merchantsthrough personal communication devices, the promotions can be conductedinstantly. For example, a restaurant can take a picture of a specialdish and mark it with a special price; and the RCMS computer system caninstantly send this picture to members of the restaurant's CustomerLoyalty Program. There is no printing and mailing involved and there isno delay. There is no waste of natural resources and there is noenvironmental damage. The entire promotion can be launched instantly andended within a few hours to fully utilize the perishable inventory andthe empty tables in the restaurant.

Furthermore, because the RCMS computer system also conducts payments onbehalf of customers, the RCMS can charge a service fee only when thepromotion becomes successful. For example, the RCMS can charge 5% of theprice as the service fee to promote a special dish for a restaurant. Ifnobody orders that dish, the restaurant does not pay any service fee tothe RCMS. If a customer orders that dish for ten dollars, the RCMScomputer system will charge fifty cents as its services fee when thecustomer pays the restaurant through the RCMS. For example, the RCMScomputer system transfers ten dollars out from the customer's account,transfers fifty cents to an account owned by the RCMS, and transfers thebalance of $9.50 to an account owned by the restaurant.

As a result of the above arrangement, merchants are more likely toconduct promotions with the RCMS because there is no upfront cost andthe service fee is charged based on the result of the promotionalcampaign. The promotion campaign can be launched instantly to increasethe gain of a business opportunity. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, a promoted item can be a product, service, material,tangible property, intangible property, or any item that can be offeredby any business or non-business operation.

As a result of the present disclosure, merchants have great incentivesto use the services provided by the RCMS because the RCMS helpsmerchants conduct marketing promotions, implement Customer LoyaltyPrograms, conduct payment transactions, and track customers' activitieswithout the need for the merchants to establish an expensive in-housecomputer system.

More importantly, consumers have incentives to join the RCMS clubbecause they can save time and money, their privacy is fully protected,and all transactions can be conducted securely without the need forcustomers to carry any traditional instruments such as cash, creditcard, debit card, prepaid card, stored-value card, gift card, check,monetary instrument, coupon, token, ticket, voucher, certificate, note,securities, etc.

In fact, a consumer can easily conduct any payment as long as he/shecarries a personal communication device, such as a mobile phone,smartphone, Smartbook, PDA, etc. In the event that a consumer forgets tocarry his mobile phone, PDA, etc., he/she can still use the merchant'scomputer to log into the RCMS to directly transfer funds from theconsumer's RCMS account to the merchant's RCMS account.

Additionally, the present disclosure can quickly and securely transfermoney from one person to another person. The RCMS becomes a GlobalRemittance Network.

In summary, many different aspects and combinations of aspects aredisclosed. A particular aspect or a particular combination of aspectscan be applied based on commercial reasons.

As contemplated in the described aspects, one of many possiblecombinations is described below as an example. The computer system ofthe Retail Customer Management System (“RCMS”) 500 and a network 600,such as the Internet, mobile network, WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LowEnergy, etc., enable a retail store 400 to manage customers 100, 200 and300 as shown in FIG. 1.

Reference should now be made to the flowchart of FIGS. 2A to 2C incombination with the system diagram of FIG. 1, which together illustratehow a restaurant can manage customers with the computer system of theRCMS 500.

Two wait lists and one transition pool are used in this example toexplain how the RCMS computer system 500 works. In general, a party ofmultiple customers may plan to have dinner together. There is no need toregister all customers of the party with the restaurant. Instead, onecustomer can represent the entire party as long as the informationregarding the actual number of customers in the party is given to therestaurant. Therefore, a customer and a party have the same meaning inthis example. For example, when a customer is assigned to a wait list,the customer and his entire party are assigned to the wait list as oneentity in the wait list.

First, a customer 100, who plans to have dinner in a restaurant, usesthe software application on her personal communication device (e.g.,iPhone) to remotely log into the RCMS computer system 500 so that she isadded to the waiting list of the restaurant. The RCMS computer system500 checks whether there is any customer who registers for the waitinglist (decision block 2001). If the answer is “NO” (NO branch 2003), theRCMS computer system 500 continues to decision block 2005. In thisexample, because the answer is “YES” (YES branch 2002), the RCMScomputer system 500 adds the customer 100 to the last position of afirst wait list (block 2004) then continues to decision block 2005.

The first wait list is a first-in-first-out wait list. Conceptuallyspeaking, a new entity is added to the last position (e.g., tail) of thewait list. Each of the entities in the wait list moves up by oneposition whenever the entity at the first position (e.g., head) of thewait list is removed from the wait list. For example, if there are tenentities in the wait list, the last entity will move up to become thefirst entity after the entity at the first position has been removednine times. Therefore, a first-in-first-out wait list is conceptuallysimilar to a waiting line in front of a ticket office of a movietheater. A new customer joins the line at the last position. Allentities in the line move up by one position after the entity at thefirst position of the line has purchased his ticket and left the line.Eventually, the entity at the last position will move up to the firstposition.

If the customer 200 walks into the restaurant without registeringremotely as the customer 100 did, the hostess of the restaurant 400 canenter the name and phone number of the customer 200 into the RCMScomputer system 500. Upon receiving the phone number, the RCMS computersystem 500 sends a text message to the walk-in customer 200, confirmingthat he has been added to the waiting line. In addition, as an option,the message can invite the walk-in customer 200 to become a member ofthe RCMS club so that he does not need to show up in person to put hisname on the restaurant's wait list next time. Because it is quite boringto wait at the restaurant, the walk-in customer 200 is likely to usethis time to sign on as a member of the RCMS.

The RCMS computer system 500 checks whether there is any customer whowalks into the restaurant (decision block 2005). If the answer is “NO”(NO branch 2007), the RCMS computer system 500 continues to decisionblock 2009. Because the answer is “YES” (YES branch 2006) in thisexample, the RCMS computer system 500 adds the walk-in customer 200 tothe last position of the first wait list (block 2008), then continues todecision block 2009. The RCMS computer system 500 sends a message to thecustomer 200, confirming his registration at the restaurant's waitingline and inviting him to join the RCMS club.

During a busy weekend and on a holiday, there may be many customers whowant to dine in a popular restaurant. Under such circumstances, it isnot uncommon to wait for over one hour before being seated in therestaurant. Therefore, the length of the first wait list can be verylong during a busy evening. Traditionally, customers have to show up ina restaurant to sign in so that they can be assigned on afirst-come-first-serve basis to a waiting list. Some customers, whocannot wait or do not want to wait, may give up waiting and find anotherrestaurant. Restaurants are losing business because of this frustratingwaiting period.

With the RCMS computer system 500, this frustration can be avoided. Forexample, a customer can register at the restaurant's waiting list athome through her personal communication device and the RCMS computersystem 500 informs the customer of the current waiting time, e.g., 75minutes. The customer can then estimate when she should leave home inorder to arrive at the restaurant in time for her table. In addition, asan option, the RCMS computer system 500 may request the customer to getready to check in at the restaurant when there are, for example, onlysix parties ahead of the customer in the first wait list. Promotions,such as today's special, can also be sent to the customer through herpersonal communication device. As a result, the customer does not needto wait in the lobby of the restaurant. Instead, she can use the timeshe would have spent waiting at the restaurant to take care of othermatters and arrive at the restaurant later without hassle or pressure.

To protect the restaurant against any abuse of the registration system,a small fee, e.g., five dollars per person, can be charged to thecustomer for her remote registration. This fee can be adjusted based onthe number of persons in the party. For example, five dollars can becharged for each person in the party. If the customer registers for fourpersons, a twenty dollar service fee will be charged. If the party dinesin the restaurant later, this fee can be refunded to the customer. Ifthe party does not show up that evening, the fee will be forfeited as a“cancellation fee” to cover the wasted resources associated with theirresponsible registration.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a second first-in-first-outwait list is used to manage those customers who have checked in with thehostess of the restaurant 400 after they had been requested by the RCMScomputer system 500 to check in with the restaurant. In reality, it isvery difficult to predict when a table of guests will leave after theyfinished their meals. To fully utilize all the available tables in arestaurant, the restaurant may prefer to have at least three parties ofguests waiting in its lobby. In general, customers do not mind waitingin the lobby if there are only about three to four parties ahead ofthem.

The RCMS computer system 500 checks whether a length of the second waitlist is less than three parties (decision block 2009). The number “3” isused as an example. In practice, this number can be determined by therestaurant based on its preference. If the answer is “NO” (NO branch2011), the RCMS computer system 500 continues to decision block 2013. Ifthe answer is “YES” (YES branch 2010), the RCMS computer system 500sends a message to the personal communication device of a customer whois at the first position of the first wait list, requesting the customerto check in with the restaurant (block 2012), then continues to decisionblock 2013. Once the message is sent to the customer at the firstposition (i.e., head) of the first wait list, this customer is removedfrom the first wait list and assigned into a transition pool. Thetransition pool is used to accommodate those entities that have beenremoved from the first wait list but have not been added to the secondwait list. As time goes on, the customer 100 will eventually move up tothe first position of the first wait list. She will receive a messagefrom the RCMS computer system 500, which asks her to check in with therestaurant. After receiving the message, the customer 100 is removedfrom the first wait list and assigned into the transition pool.

Customers may not immediately check in with the hostess of therestaurant 400 after receiving the check-in messages from the RCMScomputer system 500. For example, a customer may encounter a traffic jamand her schedule may be delayed. Therefore, it is not practical for therestaurant to allocate a table for a party that is still in thetransition pool until the party has checked in with the hostess of therestaurant 400. The transition pool has a smoothing effect that filtersout irregularities between the first wait list and the second wait list.

The RCMS computer system 500 determines whether any customer checks inwith the hostess of the restaurant 400 (decision block 2013). If theanswer is “NO” (NO branch 2015), the RCMS computer system 500 continuesto decision block 2017. If the answer is “YES” (YES branch 2014) becausethe customer 100 has checked in with the hostess of the restaurant 400,the RCMS computer system 500 removes the customer 100 from thetransition pool and adds her to the last position of the second waitlist (block 2016), then continues to decision block 2017. The secondwait list only includes a few parties that have already checked in withthe hostess of the restaurant 400.

The hostess of the restaurant 400 will monitor the availability oftables in the restaurant. If there is a table available, the hostess ofthe restaurant 400 informs the RCMS computer system 500 of suchavailability. The RCMS computer system 500 checks whether any table isavailable (decision block 2017). If the answer is “NO” (NO branch 2019),the RCMS computer system 500 continues to decision block 2021. If theanswer is “YES” (YES branch 2018), the RCMS computer system 500 removesthe first party from the second wait list (while the hostess of therestaurant 400 leads the removed first party to the available table),then continues to decision block 2021. Given time, both the customer 100and customer 200 will be moved to the first position of the second waitlist, respectively, and they will be led to their respective tables.

Assuming the customer 300 has remotely registered with the RCMS computersystem 500 but has never checked in with the hostess of the restaurant400 after the RCMS computer system 500 sent a check-in message to him,the customer 300 will be left in the transition pool at the end of theday. At the end of business day, the hostess of the restaurant 400informs the RCMS computer system 500 that the restaurant has beenclosed. The RCMS computer system 500 checks whether it is the end of thebusiness day (decision block 2021). If the answer is “NO” (NO branch2022), the RCMS computer system 500 continues to decision block 2001 torestart its service process again. If the answer is “YES” (YES branch2023), the RCMS computer system 500 continues to decision block 2024.

The RCMS computer system 500 checks whether the transition pool is empty(decision block 2024). If the answer is “NO” (NO branch 2026), the RCMScomputer system 500 charges the entities left in the transition poolcancellation fees (e.g., $5 per person), then ends the process. If theanswer is “YES” (YES branch 2025), the RCMS computer system 500 ends theprocess.

The above process is handled by the RCMS computer system 500. Thehostess of the restaurant 400 only works with a few parties at any giventime after the RCMS computer system 500 asks them to check in with therestaurant. It is an easy job for the hostess of the restaurant. At thesame time, customers are much happier because nobody waits for a longtime in the lobby of the restaurant. There is no rush or hassle whendining out. Restaurants will make more money because fewer people willwalk away from the restaurant due to waiting in the restaurants.

In practice, a restaurant may have tables of different sizes to fitparties of different sizes. Sometimes, a restaurant may combine multiplesmaller tables to fit a large party. Therefore, a restaurant may assigneach party to one of a multiple groups with each group having its ownfirst wait list and second wait list. For example, a restaurant maydecide that a party of four persons or less belongs to Group A; a partyof five to eight persons belongs to Group B; and a party of more thaneight persons belongs to Group C. As a result, when a party of threepersons conducts remote registration, this party will be assigned to thefirst wait list of Group A. Eventually, this party will be moved to thesecond wait list of Group A. Similarly, when a party of seven personsconducts remote registration, this party will be assigned to the firstwait list of Group B and will eventually be moved to the second waitlist of Group B. When a party of twelve persons conducts remoteregistration, this party will be assigned to the first wait list ofGroup C and will eventually be moved to the second wait list of Group C.Therefore, when a customer remotely registers with a restaurant onbehalf of his party, this customer will be assigned to one of the firstwait lists of the restaurant based on the size of his party.

Once a restaurant has decided how to define its Groups—each with a firstwait list and a second wait list—for different sizes of parties, theabove process can be automated by a computer system. Because a party ofa larger size may spend a longer time in the restaurant, the predefinedReference Length of the second wait list of each Group for the computersystem to request the next party of the first wait list to check in maybe different for Groups A, B or C. For example, for Group A, thecomputer system may request the next party of the first wait list tocheck in when the second wait list is less than six parties. Incomparison, for Group C, the computer system may request the next partyof the first wait list to check in when the second wait list is lessthan two parties.

Furthermore, because a larger table can accommodate a small party andmultiple smaller tables can be combined together to accommodate a largerparty, the restaurant can always manually override the decision by thecomputer and request the next party of the first wait list of any groupto check in based on the actual situation in the restaurant. Becauseonly a few groups are involved, this kind of decision for manualoverride can be easily made by the host of the restaurant.

Because it takes some time for a party to check in with a restaurantafter receiving the message to check in, there is a need for a time gapbetween each new check-in message. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the time gap between each message to request the next partyof the first wait list to check in is determined by the restaurant. Forexample, if a restaurant decides that the time gap should be threeminutes and the Reference Length of the second wait list is fourparties, the computer system sends a message to the first party of thefirst wait list when the second wait list is less than four parties andremoves the first party from the first wait list. If the removed firstparty does not check in within three minutes, i.e., the time gap, thecomputer system will ask the next party on the first wait list to checkin. This process will continue every three minutes until the second waitlist has at least four parties.

If the time gap is too short, there will be too many parties checking inat the same time and the second wait list may become too long. If thetime gap is too long, there may be an empty table unutilized because thenext party has not checked in yet. Many factors may affect thetheoretical size of the time gap. In practice, a proper time gap can beset based on a trial and error process conducted by the restaurant.Because there may be unusual situations, in one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the computer system permits the restaurant to override theregular computer process by speeding up or slowing down the process ofrequesting the next party of the first wait list to check in.

In addition, the RCMS computer system 500 can help restaurants managetheir promotions and loyalty programs. With real-time promotions andincentives offered by the loyalty program, the RCMS computer system 500can help restaurants fill up their empty tables during the weekdays. Theprofitability of a restaurant will be boosted by the RCMS computersystem 500. In one aspect of the present disclosure, to reduce themarketing cost to retail businesses, the RCMS computer system 500charges its service fees after the deals are completed.

For example, when the customer 100 finishes her dinner, the RCMScomputer system 500 sends her an electronic bill through a mobile app onher personal communication device. The bill lists all items ordered andthe prices, special promotional items ordered and prices, total amountof discount received, tax amount, and total amount due. The customer 100adds a tip and approves the RCMS computer system 500 to make a paymentto the restaurant through her mobile app.

The RCMS computer system 500 transfers the total amount approved by thecustomer 100 from an account of the customer 100. The RCMS computersystem 500 transfers a fee charged by the RCMS to an account owned bythe RCMS. The RCMS computer system 500 transfers the balance, i.e.,total amount minus fee, to an account owned by the restaurant.

As a result, many aspects of the present disclosure effectively helpretail businesses manage customers, promote businesses, reduce cost, andachieve great success.

The methodologies described herein may be implemented by various meansdepending upon the application. For example, these methodologies may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.For a hardware implementation, the processing may be implemented withinone or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digitalsignal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors,electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform thefunctions described herein, or a combination thereof.

For a firmware and/or software implementation, the methodologies may beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) thatperform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable mediumtangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing themethodologies described herein. For example, software codes may bestored in a memory and executed by a processor. Memory may beimplemented within the processor or external to the processor. As usedherein the term “memory” refers to any type of long term, short term,volatile, nonvolatile, or other memory and is not to be limited to anyparticular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media uponwhich memory is stored.

If implemented in firmware and/or software, the functions may be storedas one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.Examples include computer-readable media encoded with a data structureand computer-readable media encoded with a computer program.Computer-readable media includes physical computer storage media. Astorage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by acomputer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readablemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium that can be used to store desired program code in the formof instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by acomputer; disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD),laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk andblue-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, whilediscs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

In addition to storage on computer readable medium, instructions and/ordata may be provided as signals on transmission media included in acommunication apparatus. For example, a communication apparatus mayinclude a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions anddata. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or moreprocessors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. Thecommunication apparatus may not store all of the instructions and/ordata on a computer readable medium.

The aspects described in this disclosure can be assembled to form avariety of applications based on the need. Those skilled in the art andtechnology to which this disclosure pertains can appreciate thatalterations and changes in the described structure may be practicedwithout meaningfully departing from the principal, spirit, and scope ofthis disclosure. Such alterations and changes should not be construed asdeviations from the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system to manage a plurality ofcustomers for a store, comprising: a memory device; and at least oneprocessor coupled to the memory device, the at least one processorexecuting program code stored in a non-transitory computer readablemedium, the executed program code configuring the at least oneprocessor: to generate first account identification information fromstored account information of a customer of the plurality of customers,the at least one processor extracting portions of customeridentification information from the stored account information togenerate an account identification number included in the first accountidentification information; to transmit a list of candidate payeeswithin a predefined distance of a current geolocation of a personalcommunication device of the customer in response to a request receivedfrom the personal communication device of the customer; to identify thestore as a party to a transaction with the customer based on feedbackreceived from the personal communication device of the customer inresponse to transmitting the list of candidate payees; to receive, froma communication device of the store, a transaction message indicatingthe customer is a counterparty to the transaction, the transactionmessage comprising second account identification information received atthe communication device of the store from the customer; to determinethe first account identification information matches the second accountidentification information by matching at least a portion of the secondaccount identification to the generated account identification numberincluded in the first account identification information; and to approvethe transaction between the customer and the store in response todetermining the first account identification information matches thesecond account identification information and in response to identifyingthe store as the party to the transaction.
 2. The computer system ofclaim 1, in which the executed program code further configures the atleast one processor to monitor a geolocation of the personalcommunication device of the customer.
 3. The computer system of claim 2,in which the executed program code further configures the at least oneprocessor to generate the list of payees within the predefined distanceof the current geolocation based on the monitored geolocation of thepersonal communication device of the customer.
 4. The computer system ofclaim 1, in which the transaction message is received in response to thecustomer physically arriving at the store.
 5. The computer system ofclaim 1, in which the personal communication device of the customercomprises a keyboard, keypad, monitor, display, terminal, computer,mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA),smart watch, smart wearable devices, control panel, vehicle dash board,network interface, machinery interface, video interface, audiointerface, electrical interface, electronic interface, magneticinterface, electromagnetic interface including electromagnetic waveinterface, optical interface, light interface, acoustic interface, videointerface, audio interface, contactless interface, handheld deviceinterface, portable device interface, wireless interface, wiredinterface, or other type of interface.
 6. The computer system of claim1, in which the store comprises a restaurant, fast food restaurant, foodstand, food truck, bookstore, clothing store, grocery store, drug store,gift store, shoe store, bag store, furniture store, convenience store,electronic store, appliance store, equipment store, tool store,department store, gardening store, building material store, supermarket,bus stop, bus station, train stop, train station, taxi stand, car shop,boat shop, vehicle shop, hotel, apartment, financial institution, moneyservices provider, school, theater, park, fair ground, entertainmentcenter, hospital, medical center, dentist office, doctor office, beautysalon, barbershop, goods provider, service provider, organization, club,association, company, office, business, kiosk, machine, or any type offacility that interfaces with customers.
 7. The computer system of claim1, in which the executed program code further configures the at leastone processor to transmit, to the personal communication device of thecustomer, driving directions to the store.
 8. The computer system ofclaim 1, in which the executed program code further configures the atleast one processor: to generate an arrival request message requestingthe customer to arrive at the store; and to transmit the arrival requestmessage to the personal communication device of the customer.
 9. Amethod for managing a plurality of customers for a store, comprising:generating first account identification information from stored accountinformation of a customer of the plurality of customers, the firstaccount identification information comprising an account identificationnumber generated based on portions of customer identificationinformation extracted from the stored account information; transmittinga list of candidate payees within a predefined distance of a currentgeolocation of a personal communication device of the customer inresponse to a request received from the personal communication device ofthe customer; identifying the store as a party to a transaction with thecustomer based on feedback received from the personal communicationdevice of the customer in response to transmitting the list of candidatepayees; receiving, from a communication device of the store, atransaction message indicating the customer is a counterparty to thetransaction, the transaction message comprising second accountidentification information received at the communication device of thestore from the customer; determining the first account identificationinformation matches the second account identification information bymatching at least a portion of the second account identification to thegenerated account identification number included in the first accountidentification information; and approving the transaction between thecustomer and the store in response to determining the first accountidentification information matches the second account identificationinformation and in response to identifying the store as the party to thetransaction.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising monitoring ageolocation of the personal communication device of the customer. 11.The method of claim 10, further comprising generating the list of payeeswithin the predefined distance of the current geolocation based on themonitored geolocation of the personal communication device of thecustomer.
 12. The method of claim 9, in which the transaction message isreceived in response to the customer physically arriving at the store.13. The method of claim 9, in which the personal communication device ofthe customer comprises a keyboard, keypad, monitor, display, terminal,computer, mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), smart watch, smart wearable devices, control panel, vehicle dashboard, network interface, machinery interface, video interface, audiointerface, electrical interface, electronic interface, magneticinterface, electromagnetic interface including electromagnetic waveinterface, optical interface, light interface, acoustic interface, videointerface, audio interface, contactless interface, handheld deviceinterface, portable device interface, wireless interface, wiredinterface, or other type of interface.
 14. The method of claim 9, inwhich the store comprises a restaurant, fast food restaurant, foodstand, food truck, bookstore, clothing store, grocery store, drug store,gift store, shoe store, bag store, furniture store, convenience store,electronic store, appliance store, equipment store, tool store,department store, gardening store, building material store, supermarket,bus stop, bus station, train stop, train station, taxi stand, car shop,boat shop, vehicle shop, hotel, apartment, financial institution, moneyservices provider, school, theater, park, fair ground, entertainmentcenter, hospital, medical center, dentist office, doctor office, beautysalon, barbershop, goods provider, service provider, organization, club,association, company, office, business, kiosk, machine, or any type offacility that interfaces with customers.
 15. The method of claim 9,further comprising transmitting, to the personal communication device ofthe customer, driving directions to the store.
 16. The method of claim9, further comprising: generating an arrival request message requestingthe customer to arrive at the store; and transmitting the arrivalrequest message to the personal communication device of the customer.